Making the community a better place  for everyone is the challenge that has been enthusiastically adopted by the kids from Newhaven, Powlett River and Bass Valley Primary schools this week.

Their schools are participating in The Kids As Catalysts program, a schools based philanthropy initiative for children aged 8-12, run by the not for profit group Kids Thrive.

It involves a two phase, 16 week social action program in a school, where children begin in the classroom, but then step out into the community to lead change.

Stories of the successes of other schools where the program has run have inspired our local students to take up the baton, identify the  social issues that they truly care about, and then work together in their communities to bring about positive change.

A key aspect of the program is increasing connections between kids and their local community, where their work will be carried out.

Co Founder of Kids Thrive Dr Andrea Lemon commented that it has been demonstrated time and time again that kids love a challenge, and that their power to bring about change should not be underestimated.

“”The Kids Thrive program challenges kids to step up, and take charge of the things that matter to them. They have the right to be heard about the things in the world that they care about, and take action,” she said.

The program focuses on giving the young students participating the skills they require to address the issues they are concerned about.

Students at an urban school located near the Asylum Seekers Centre  in Melbourne, as an example, were concerned at the lack of employment opportunity for those living there. They approached  their local MP, suggesting she could employ the team of caterers at the Centre, for her work in her electorate. She responded by taking on the team as her preferred caterers.

The take away from this great story for those listening  is that it really is possible to make a positive change, if you set your mind to it.

The students from the three local schools have now formed themselves into teams, and identified a  a range of different social issues that they care about and will now work on. There’s an animal action team, an elder’s action group, environmental team, and a people with a disabilities group, to name just a few.

Over the next few weeks, the students will be challenged to find ways to address the problems they have identified, and to focus of ways they can go out into the community to bring about  positive change.

It’s all about making a difference, the program’s community liaison officer,  Jenni Churchill, said at the launch.

The Bass Coast Foundation (BCF) philanthropic organisation is sponsoring the Kids as Catalyst program at the three schools.

BCF Chairman Phil Friedlos said that educational opportunities were important to the Foundation, and that the Foundation was delighted to support this project.